Peaks and People

The Path to Plein Air Painting Part I: A Peek at Pigments   Box, 1880-1939, Metal; Wood, 104.39.1003 Pigment:   A substance used for colouring or painting, especially a dry powder, which when mixed with oil, water, or another medium constitutes a paint or ink. At the Whyte we have approximately 16,000 paintings and drawings. A large percentage of these are attributed to our founders Peter Whyte and Catharine Robb Whyte. In order to understand how it was possible for Peter and Catharine to paint we must explore the materials that allowed them to paint.  Without the development of pigments, mediums, and artistic tools, artists, like Peter and Catharine would not have been able to become the artists they were.  Join us as we explore the history of that development.  The long history of pigments has been a deadly, expensive, and continuous endeavour. In the past, artists have used a variety of pigments that were sourced from animals, insect...

The Portraits of Nicholas de Grandmaison Igor and Andrei admiring Nicholas de Grandmaison's painting of his wife Sonia.  Three weeks ago author Igor Krasnov stopped at the Whyte Museum while on vacation to view the artworks of the man he'd been researching and writing about for the last decade: Nicholas de Grandmaison. What began as an interest in learning about his new home in Victoria, B.C. after emmigrating from Russia, evolved into a journey to discover the story of fellow Russian immigrant and renowned artist Nicholas de Grandmaison.  His quest began at his local library where he discovered the famous Canadian painter Emily Carr. Known for her modernist depictions of the Pacific Northwest Coast lifestyle, Carr's lack of Indigenous Peoples portrayed in her paintings surprised Krasnov. Upon further research Krasnov discovered a story in one of her books explaining why she didn't paint portraits of Indigenous Peoples. According to Carr, she once tried...